About last night …

This just in from the Hockey Inside/Out Decision Desk:
After long deliberations fuelled by tequila shooters and takeout sandwiches from Schwartz’s, we have decided to award your Montreal Canadiens a mulligan.
We are going to forgive and forget the piss-poor effort from which they miraculously salvaged a point.
faster, Hungrier, infinitely more prudent and skillful in puck management, Detroit deserved to win in regulation.
As it was, the Red Wings got their two points in Overtime, while the Canadiens bored their fans to tears and flew on to Pittsburgh.
Fearless prediction: If they play that badly against the Penguins, there will be no OT at the Consol Energy Center Thursday night.

The Canadiens began the most challenging part of their schedule – seven games in 11 nights, five of them on the road – by depositing a steaming pile on an ice surface that began the evening in glory.

In the immortal formulation of Sports Illustrated’s Michael Farber, there are two institutions that do ceremony right: the House of Windsor and the Montreal Canadiens.

During a pre-game ceremony Wednesday night, the Canadiens honoured members of Canada’s Gold medal-winning women’s hockey team. They lined up on one side of a regal blue carpet, while the other end was occupied by representatives of the Gold-winning men’s team: Coach Mike Babcock and general manager Ken Holland of the Red Wings, P.K. Subban and, in civvies, Carey Price.

Then the Bell Centre crowd sang a rousing O Canada, the enthusiasm of which gladdened the hearts of those of us living through Quebec’s most recent bout of shamefully cynical and petty politics.

I won’t go into details of why an affirmation of love for Canada and our superb athletes was significant on a late February evening in 2014 Montreal.

Nor will I dwell unduly on the failings of our local hockey team, who responded to all that pomp and good-timey emotion by playing one of their most listless and monotonous games of the season.

Nor will I stress, beyond a simple acknowledgement, that this was one of the Canadiens’ “Optimum” games, for which they boost ticket prices.

What did the fans get for their extra expenditure?

No home team scoring for 59 minutes, 31 seconds.

A second period in which the Canadiens, trailing 1-0, had no shots on goal for 12:31 and ended the 20 minutes with TWO SoG – a season low.

Let’s just chalk the whole mess up to a post-Olympic hangover.

And perhaps the sight of the women, P.K. and Price flashing all that gold was just too much of a downer for Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin – all of whom came back from the Olympics bereft of Gold, Silver or Bronze adornment.

Peter Budaj didn’t win anything in Sochi either. But unlike the aforementioned no-shows, the Canadiens goaltender played well against Detroit.

Free-flowing refreshments here at HIO HQ notwithstanding, it is sobering to consider that Detroit was the easiest opponent the Canadiens will face on this killer portion of their schedule.

After facing the first-place Penguins in the second half of a back-to-back, the Canadiens play host to the Leafs on Saturday. Then they fly across the continent for a Monday game in Los Angeles, followed by a Wednesday-Thursday back-to-back in Anaheim and Phoenix and a Saturday game in San Jose.

First opponent after the Canadiens return home?

Boston at the Bell Centre on March 12.

The Canadiens are eight points clear of ninth-place Columbus in the Eastern Conference standings.

There should be postseason hockey at the Bell Centre – a likelihood that suggests Marc Bergevin won’t be doing much wheeling and dealing in advance of the March 5 trade deadline.

This team is not going to load up for a Stanley Cup run because there isn’t going to be one – unless Carey Price can mistake playoff opponents for the U.S. and Sweden.

Nor is Bergevin likely to be a seller at the deadline. The GM’s cautious approach will disappoint those of us who would happily bid farewell to Brian Gionta, Travis Moen, Lars Eller and, if the deal were right, Andrei Markov in exchange for assets that will help the club become a bona-fide contender …. in the post-Michel Therrien era, with Alex Galchenyuk as the number 1 centre.

This team is depressing to watch man. Like did these guys practice at all during the olympics? Like wow! Year in year out its the same thing with this team. Bad coach, bad GM, players past their prime but still getting lots of shifts. Can’t make real trades, afraid to make the trades to really change things up. Getting harder and harder to watch, I tell ya. Gionta scoring last night, talk about a fluke, he couldn’t do that again if his life depended on it. So depressing to see young players sitting on the bench while the veterans go out there and blow the icetime away. I really hope something happens over the summer with this team or I might start watching curling or something. This team hasn’t got a hope in hell of playoffs and even if they make it in, it’ll be a super quick exit.

I just want to add my 2 cents to all this Eller/DD debate. The fact is that the Habs can’t win with either DD or Eller as their #1 center. DD (who I like), has some nice offensive skill, but too easily gets out muscled off the puck and isn’t exactly the road runner. Name me one team in the last 40 years who has won a cup with a #1 center who was 5’6″. As for Eller, (who I also like) doesn’t have the hockey IQ to be a #1 center. Luke’s post below reflects my opinion of Eller bang on.

It’s time for the Habs to finally start to groom Chucky to be that #1 center we have been waiting for since Bobby Smith. Put him with MacPax now and let him develop as a center. Not sure how playing him on the wing will develop him as a center. I understand why they started him on the wing, but now it is time to move him to center.

Yes, thank you for articulating things so well. I will add, that Eller has value as a 3rd line centre and a fill in on the 2nd line. I don’t think DD could be a good 3rd line centre. He would, for the right team, be a decent 2nd line centre.

Having Galchenyuk, Pleks (2nd line) Eller ( 3rd line) and then finding at least one winger that would stay with each centre would be a great start.

Eller has been given lots of chances this year, including recently getting to play on the top line with Plekanec. He hasn’t stepped up offensively. The NHL is a big-boys league, you have to earn your chances.

that is his chance? was DD moved to wing after 20 games and 1 point or whatever? In all of Dd’s time here in Motnreal I don’t recall them ever trying to play him at wing…this despite him not being able to match up against any teams top lines in the defensive zone? why is that? did he “earn” his way back? The way I rememeber it was they shuffled things to try to ignite Patches with Gally and DD….it worked…at the expense of the rest of the offense.

I thought Eller’s chance was last year and the beginning of this year where he did as well as Dd at Dd’s best? HE has already proven twice now in two diff’t seasons he can produce similarly in a similar role….and DD has proven that in an Eller like role…he cannot produce either.

That is an example of a chance he has had. He has been getting almost 14 minutes a night at even strength, only 22 seconds less than DD on average. He has produced 16 ES points to DD’s 21. If Eller wants DDs job, he needs to take it away with his play.

When DD came into the league, he proved he could produce in 3rd/4th line role. That’s how he worked his way into the line up. DD has earned eveything he has achieved.

Who gets all of the pp time? who gets the favourable matchups against other teams 4th lines,etc? who gets the offesnvie zone starts? who gets the teams top 2 wingers? It has been demonstrated twice last season and for a quarter of this season that in favourable situations Eller can produce and without them…DD cannot as he showed as well.
They are very similar offesnively…so then you look at what else they can bring? then you look at who will give way to Chucky? then you look at the need for Gallagher to be there(a palyer the Habs should be sheltering IMO not asking to do all of the grunt work both in the corners and in front)…it all adds up to making the most sense in moving DD.

Dd has a couple of aces up his sleeve though…he is actually a pretty darn good passer, he is also super tight with the teams top socrer and he is extremely popular with the fanbase in their most important region. As you said though this is a big boy sport and I just don’t see how the team is nort better off with Eller than DD.

? struggled..why can Dd not be trusted to play in his own end? why can Eller be asked to shut down opposing top lines? sorry Matty this does not make any sense at all….Eller has not struggled with the center psotiion at all and is a very good passer….when having someone to pass to that is. The very heart of this point you are making is in complete contrast to what I have seen of the two players in their tenures in Montreal and their usage in defensive situations is the best indicator of their value at the “center position”.

DD struggles all the time, his winning percentage is dismal, he gets pushed off the puck too much, and he does not do well in his own zone. Conversely, Eller is tops in face offs, plays strong in his own end, and wins more battles. Twice, he has put up decent points.

I am not saying Eller hasn’t had his ups and downs. Name me one player on the Habs that hasn’t. I don’t think he is getting the recognition he deserves or the opportunity to succeed that Patches and DD keep getting. If you want a player with questionable hockey vision and sense, look at Patches. Yes, he can shoot, yes he can skate. but he can’t anticipate and misses way more set ups from DD than he finishes. When given time, he messes up more often than not. I like him too, but he is limited too. He is not as good in his own zone as Eller either!

Making him play out of position again, after the complete failure doing it last season, is not what I call a chance. No disrespect to you. I don’t see it the same way. Pleks is a lefty and Eller’s face off winning percentage is better than Pleks. Why not move Pleks to left wing with Eller at centre. Why is it always Eller, not DD, Not Pleks, not Gionta, that has to change his position?

I would actually not mind seeing DD tried on the wing, I find his size can be a liability when defending in his own end.

Again, I don’t think Eller has really earned anymore playing time than he is getting. He is performing as a 3rd line centre and that is where they have him. He gets almost as many ES minutes as DD. DD in an offensive role and Eller in a defensive role is better than the other way around on both accounts.

Your last sentence is very true…and that is why it is what it is but witht he teams struggle to score and as I mentioned below why not try other lines on the pp and reward them? Why not reward guys lie Eller with some favourable starts? Why not remove Galagher fromt hat line to help another out? Dd-Patches have shown teh same production int he past without Glalagher…Gallagher showed better production without them..so why not? I agree Ellerer helps out in other ways but if the team is truly moving Chucky to center at some point then the logical person to go for the reasons you mentioned (Eller has valu ein a 3 role where Dd does not really)….that si teh spot where Chucky will paly right? with the teams top winger?.

I found that all this debate on Eller / D.D. today has been made in general good humour and respect with solid arguments to back up comments. I wanted to say it and say bravo ! cause this is not always the case…

both calls on PK were horrible, the first was a joke. the persona of PK is painful and astonishing. he gets no favourable calls, and it seems the refs love sending him to the box. I don’t know why, but the perception of PK by anyone other than a Habs fan, and even some of us is embarrassing. I think he is great on and off the ice, but there is just so much hate for him. what did I miss. I challenge the world….. show me one, just one interview where PK doesn’t “tow the line”. he obviously tries (hard) to be a good teammate, goes out of his way for his fans, and gives sometimes undeserved respect to his coaches, yet people just don’t like him. hate it.

? he should have gotten two interfernece penalties on that shift…the call of “roughing” that was a joke…but he clearly twice interfered with Helm. I agree he has had stretches where he gets no clals and is genuinely treated unfairly…but last night I felt the exact opposite. I don;t even think Detroit should have got a penalty on his “diving” call…I think that was a holding or holding the stick on PK and that is it.

the first call, Det player had the puck on his stick, PK first made contact with the puck, and then they collided. you can hit another player with the puck in almost any way other than in the head or from behind. PK was on one knee before the DET player ran into him.

the second call, Det player reached in with his stick to PK’s mid section, from angle – couldn’t tell if it was on his hands or near his junk. if on hands, would it not be a slash? if it was the later, no explanation required.

That gets an interefernce call these days and make no mistake Pk knew what he was doing…the Wings bench was livid and if the shoes were on the other feet I would have been too. PK tucked the stick between his legs and squeezed it trying to draw the call on the other one.

so let me get your opinion straight. a grown man willingly took another mans lumber, and put it between his legs to draw a penalty…….

interference is a call made for impeding the progress or positioning of a player WITHOUT the puck. a violation on a player with the puck would be hook, hold, high stick etc. if not, it is a check, or an illegal check.

I don’t really give a shit if stats don’t back up my statement, but here I go.

Eller > DD

Just my opinion based on watching games. Doesn’t mean DD doesn’t have great IQ, doesn’t make slick passes and has the oldest recipe for Poutine in the province of Quebec.

Just how I feel about them. I think there should be an anonymous way for people who feel this way to get together once a week and discuss this. Perhaps we could meet at a gymnasium and talk about what happened the previous week with Eller and what happened with DD.

I do not think that anyone is saying that Eller has no value. Not the value we think he has. As is with the way Eller has been playing and contributing since the beginning of his carreer in MTL , If he had taken D.D.`s place the habs would be in worse shape. What would you find to complain then ?

Cause at the end of the day they only sure things we have are the facts,the goals,the assists and what we see.

Eller’s last 12 games of last season bagged him 13 points.
That’s great, there’s no denying, and if he hadn’t been injured against Ottawa, who knows how far the team could have gone with him playing the way he was.

His previous 12 games, however, were less good: 2 points.

Don’t forget, he only played 46 games in that shortened season, so saying that he had a great 2nd half is incorrect. He had a great final quarter of the season, and a mediocre 2nd half.

And as for this season, as far as the amazing start he had goes, he had 6 pionts in his first 3 games, and then 3 points in his following 14 games.

I don’t remember at what point MT broke up the EGG line, but have a look at their numbers; all of them stopped producing after the first 3 games.

Eller: first 3 games – 6 points, next 8 games – 2 points
Galchenyuk: first 3 games – 5 points, next 8 games – 3 points
Gallagher: first 3 games – 3 points, next 8 games – 4 points

Those results have a lot more to do with why they were broken up than with DD’s slump.

What were DD’s stats for the first 20 games of this season? They have produced very similarly at times….both positiviely and negatively. The difference is one gets all of the favourable suituations…Eller produced while getting some opportunity but not close to what DD gets. Eller is also useful when not producing (last night aside…he was just plain bad last night)…DD.? not so much. Like I said below I think removing Dd is addition by subtraction a la Rudy Gay and the Raptors. Too many players stnad to benefit fro himbeing moved. I actually htink he is a good hockey palyer but it is clear that as long as he is around he is ogiung to get all of the sheltered and opportnunisitic time….if he were placed in a 3rd line role than it wouldn’t matter.

That is the point it isn’t…so when he got Eller treatment he delivered Eller results….and vice versa. Part of me hopes it is all part of a real sneaky backhanded plan to keep Eller’s contract down and once he is signed then whammo…they unleash both he and PK and free Gally from that line where he does all of the work.

They did that…and are doing that…and Eller is producing like DD when he got that treatment as well…my pint is they are interchangeable…in fact any on eo fPLeks, Briere (yes BRiere), Eller or Chcuky could produce at DD current rate if given same rosy role IMO>

I dunno, if I’m the coach I would try to avoid having DD and Patch take a single D-Zone face off considering Plekanec and Eller are better defensively. I think the ‘favourable’ situations DD is put in has more to do with the strengths of our other centres at playing D. Is it the job of the coach to ensure all players get equal opportunity or to adjust personell to specific situations and match ups?

As for the PP opportunity given to DD; I am not confident in the other two options in Plekanec and Eller. We’ve seen Plek struggle on the PP for years. In my opinion the team has lacked a lethal PP forward since Kovalev left. It’s easy to know that Markova and PK man the points, but what other options for a 1st PP unit? I’d like to see Galchenyuk C (and take the Kovy spot on the RW boards) Patch RW (in front of the net and Gallagher on the LW boards.

I just disagree that he’s got as raw a deal as some people claim he has, and it bugs me when people use revisionist history to back up their points of view (like saying he had an amazing 2nd half of last season and an incredible first half of this one).

Nobody’s wrong in having their opinions, Burl; I’m allowed mine, and I don’t think any less of people I disagree with, unless they are impolite or disrespectful about it.

Stats don’t always tell the whole story, and I could be wrong, it seems to happen more often lately, but I seem to recall they were playing with a lot of energy and they were still creating chances.
So even with less points produced they were still a positive on the ice.

That’s a good point, and I’m by no means a stat-hound; I know very well their limitations!

I agree that they had lots of energy; that’s what I remember about them.

The problem with the idea that they were a good energy line is that that is what 3rd or 4th lines are for – energy with little production. When you have 3 potential scorers contributing energy but no points, things have to change, don’t you think?

There’s the matter of sample size to consider, were they energetic but not producing for a long stretch of game before they were split up?
Or were they split up because DD had been a black hole on the ice since the start of the season? Max was struggling too, he should be included here too, but often is forgotten.
Though he always seem to start the season slow.
Brière too had a bad start and was playing with them.

And I meant energy not just as a play of style, but also puck possession and keeping the puck in the offensive zone too.

PK might never change! He is one in a million in talent and personality. But his game is filled with both great and poor decisions.

I love the guy but he has to learn to not get himself into these positions of costing his team games.
He went for the puck, took himself out of the play. The only thing left was to take out the man. The ref could have called interference, but did not. He got a break that he through away by tapping the guys head when he got up.
The other penalty he also got himself into trouble and took a penalty.
He just has to learn to be more disciplined. Just like his Junior coach told me, PK will either win the game or lose the game on any given night.
Until he learns to be a pro, and make pro decisions, he will continue with this trend of either frustrating the opposition with his moves, or frustrating his team and fans with his decisions.!

Early this season he palyed like a Hall of Famer in the making…of late his decision making has been scary. In tight situationss he has done several things worthy of penalties. In the past I have argued he got unfair treatment by refs but of late he is getting away with quite a bit….maybe just testing his limits but at strange and dangerous times in tight games.

Pretty much sums up what I saw last night Ian. No denying that Briere put him in a bad spot by not making an effective pass from behind the net, but PK made a number of bad hockey decisions.

He is always going to make more mistakes then others simply because he has the puck more then anyone else on the team. If you don’t ever touch the puck (Moen), or pass it as soon as it touches your stick (Georges) you are not often going to make the wrong play. These guys have other issues, which are more to do with positonal play.

He is by far the most electrifying player in the league. And you are quite correct about the amount of time the puck is on his stick.
I as so glad we have him, because it would be a complete bore if we did not!

Too much focus on Eller. The whole team is up and down this season. I would question more, the coaching decisions, than I would each player. Although, there are some players even during the solid start to the season, have not played as well as they should. These are the players that need to be addressed.

Eller would and will be fine if given better and more consistent wingers. Something else that is very noticeable, when Coach Therrien decides to employ the aggressive fore check system and puck possession, most of the players do better, including young Eller!
The result is usually positive on the score sheet too!

Whi cares if the number of games lost to injury is down, so is the Habs ability to score 5 on 5, they rank 22nd ion the league in scoring.
They have the goalie to go out and play a more aggressive attack game. It is time to stop the madness of having players like DD fight to retrieve pucks they gave up on a shot in!

I can count on one hand the number of times Motnreal dumped the puck and then actaully bothered to chase last night. There was hardly ever even more than one Hab on my television screen after a dump in. Detroit would spread out…one excuse for a forechecekr would enter the zzone, Detroit would reverse the puck under no duress,and advance out of teh zone, the “forecehcekr” would be out of the scree shot again and then in the neutral zone you would again see the HABs and I would think “oh that is where they are”….frustrating.

I did not get to see much of last nights game. I guess it is a good thing. I remember an interview with Doug Harvey after he was retired and he said that shooting the puck in and giving up the puck was asinine, especially on the power play.

I have tried to keep track of the number of times the Habs shoot in the puck and the percentage of times they actually retrieve it. For the most part, they retrieve 47% of the time on shoo tins when I have watched. When you factor that in and all the energy it takes to push and shove to get it back, it is a completely moronic move! Even more so when the players you have trying to retrieve the puck are DD, Briere, Gallagher, and softies like Patches.

too much focus on eller every day on HIO. Pouliot did more in less time here and we never think about him again. Big guy, good basic skills, occasional scoring. And — you could like dozen players in the league just like him.

With all the rumors and knowledge coming from some posters on HIO i am surprized that nobody actually made a big fuss and started rumors about today`s picture where P.K. looks to be mad at Price. Did they fight ? Is there a problem in the room ? Did Therrien lose his bench ? I have heard from reliable sources that…sigh…

If the Blues seriously want to move Chris Stewart, I wonder if they would be interested in Markov for a run at the cup. He would probably be their #3 or #4 D and would be great on their 2nd unit power play.
I think the Habs would need to add a good prospect but to get a 26 year old power forward it would be worth it.

Looks a lot like Miller of Buffalo going to St. Louis. The Blues need goaltending. Stewart to Buffalo would be perfect for the Sabres rebuilding program.
(I don’t think the Blues will take Budaj for Stewart,so the Habs are kinda screwed on this one.)

Can’t trade DD, especially for a 1st round pick. No other team wants him. A giveaway machine, that is out of position on defensive assignments all game, and gets tossed around like a tiny rag doll along the boards.

Only in Montreal and with a buffoon like Therrien as head coach does a player like this play 24 minutes, get all the PP time, while Galchenyuk and Eller sit on the bench.

Personally I believe removing Dd would have the same effect on the Canadiens that moving Rudy Gay had on the Raptors. Gay was taking too many shots, monopolozing the offensive situations, other offensive palyers were not allowed to flourish and the team became stagnant knowing he would be the one the plays were drawn up for. Once gone the team started needing eveeryone invovled, everyone felt part of the team and had a role to play. They all get their chances and touches and now theya re playing way above where anyone could have imagined they would be at. Are they a contender?not even close..but they are much improved, a playoff team and gaining valuable experience for those players who may be aprt of a contending down teh orad if they can enitce the righ player into TO. Very Similar IMO. Right now I see Eller, Gallagher and Galchenyuk, Pleks and Briere all being negatively impacted by MT’s usage of DD. The only player I see who benefits (and I don’t believe he does) is Patches.

to take it one step further….getting some offesnive carrots encouraged the defense across the board. The Habs players who work their butts off away from the puck defensively and do all of the grunt work don’t get rewarded in any way to boost their confidence. They draw penalties…watch DD head onto the ice. They shut down a teams top line a couple of shifts later there is a draw on an icing in the ozone…other team can’t change…they were the ones who started the pressure and have ben flying all game…send out DD! This type of mentality is life sucking to the hard workers as well…all of these guys stand to benefit financially from production numbers…whether in Montreal or elsewhere. They are being told to defend, block shots, battle..be a grinding team…but then they do that, play great and are rewarded with what exactly?

So, who starts in net tonight?
Does Budaj get the back to back, despite his being an Olympian too?
Do we really put Tokarski in against the Guins? That’s a trial, especially considering the lack of effort displayed last night.

I can understand and accept the trading of veterans like Gionta, Briere or even Markov (assuming a good trade is made).

What I wouldn’t like to see is the trading of players like Eller, Beaulieu, Gallagher etc… until first this team tried a different coach.

I don’t pretend that all the woes of this team are directly attributable to MT, but I think his systems, methodology is part of what is limiting or stifling the offense which these players could be producing.

In particular Eller, many here have views differing on him, and probably most are partially correct. I just don’t think he has truly been given the same opportunities which other players on this team have received.

HB…..good rational………. and I think it would be good also for the younger players to experience a coach that would play them in better situations and not try so hard to get lines working at the expense of the younger players…I am particularly thinking of the EGG line here. MT does not come over like a pleasant guy and giving what I heard on 24 CH I know he ins’t very respectrful of the players with the filthy talk that he displays. Just no need to use filthy language when he addresses players.

The definition of a coach I read was : Coaching is a training or development process via which an individual is supported while achieving a specific personal or professional competence result or goal.

I agree about Eller. They should not give up on him before giving him equal opportunity. He was proving it last year and early this year before being shuffled down. The Habs need to be bigger down the middle and some want to deal away their biggest centre.

The coach is the perfect one for the job. Look at the results he had andyou cannot say otherwise. This is not kindergarden it`s the NHL.

That being said i think that the pressure should be put on the veterans and even more, i think new veterans should be aquired to reach a new level.
One must not forget that the cup was not on the menu this season and a plan should be followed that will take a few seasons yet to supply a top quality harvest.

As I’ve said in the past, he hasn’t forced MT to do anything with him. He plays too much on his back hand, or allows the opposition to force him there too easily. He often doesn’t finish checks. He doesn’t drive the net with or with out the puck. He holds the puck too long, or is a “possession monster”, depending on your POV. I don’t think he uses his winger or his shot particularly well.

Early in the season, he had success with Galchenyuk and Gallagher, but that stopped when the opponents started matching their better defensive players against them. They would often, as a line, be overwhelmed in the defensive zone and were no longer effective in the offensive zone.

This EGG line (along with DD to the Max) was ineffective while the line of Plex/Bournie/Gionta were producing. That’s why they were split apart.

DD/Max/Gallagher is the most productive line now. I’d hesitate to split them up. Aside from throwing Eller a bone, I can’t come up with a good reason to play him more, or to break up a line that is still producing.

I like Eller. Ultimately, he’s a better fit than DD, but DD is playing at nearly a ppg. Eller has, what, 1 assist in 19 games?

I just wish he’d earn the opportunities. Even when DD was sucking to Ellerian proportions (or is it the other way around?) DD was still hustling.
And let’s also not forget that DD was scratched, benched and demoted to the 4th line all during the first 20 games. Eller has yet to sit upstairs, so it’s not like MT gave DD carte blanche.

Perhaps another way to look at is this: Eller is no longer facing the same level of checking that he was when the EGG line had to be broken up, yet his production has vanished.
Why didn’t he see an increase as the defensive focus shifted away from him?

If you gave effort at your work year in and year out and as a result you continued to get treated as the new kid who didn’t know anything but still got paid, would it get to you after a while?

Then they hire another kid, and while he is likeable enough, he starts getting all kinds of better shifts than you and then all of a sudden he gets a massive raise and a whole new office. Meanwhile you are still on night shift, and doing all the dirty work for his deals.

Would you eventually get tired of giving it your all, especially when the boss wasn’t looking?